Get to Know Glasgow’s Lucia & The Best Boys

In celebration of their new single release today, we caught up with Lucia and Ally from Lucia & The Best Boys.

INTERVIEW Molly Sheridan

Molly: First up, how did you all meet?

Lucia: We met in Glasgow through some other bands about two or three+ years ago. The Glasgow music scene is quite small so everyone knows each other and it’s very supportive. There are so many amazing bands and musicians and there is a strong support system there, we all collaborate with gigs, tours and even music videos.

Ally: Even though a lot of bands we’re pals with have a really different sound or are coming from a different angle at the end of the day we all have the same goal. People always think we’re from London, which confuses me cause like, listen to our accents. I’m shocked they can’t tell where we’re from, but we get that a lot.

What’s it been like making music and keeping going during isolation?

Lucia: I’ve been rediscovering a lot musically but my main focus has been our new single. We didn’t know whether to put it out or not, but we realised that even though the traditional ways of releasing music have changed during lockdown people need it more than ever. Personally, music has been getting me through isolation and I think a lot of people feel that way, whether it’s playing an instrument or listening.

Ally: All this isolation patter, finding yourself doing what you would normally do on a day off every day is the polar opposite of being on tour. I feel really lucky to be able to still to be making music because I know there are a lot of folk who aren’t able to do that. We’ve actually been really busy and at each other’s necks as per usual with getting artwork ready for our single.

Lucia: Ally and I have creative brains that never stop like we’re in overdrive all the time. The only thing that’s really changed is not being able to gig, which I miss. But we’re really blessed to have the resources that we do, so I feel really lucky, I know a lot of musicians haven’t been able to keep creating during the lockdown.

What has been the biggest change for you during lockdown and has it affected you creatively?

Ally: Apart from missing my family and pals a lot strangely I haven’t felt that bored in lockdown, kinda busy occupying myself. I feel really grateful for the time and resources available.

Lucia: We had a lot of plans this year that hadn’t been realised yet, so my first thought was ‘fuck’ but now we’ve just been thinking positively, things will come back around and we’re so grateful for that. Especially seeing so many venues struggling, it’s given us both a lot of perspective of how difficult things could be. Giving support to the venues that have supported us is really important to me right now. And I have found myself rediscovering some old hobbies too.

Ally and Lucia

Are you excited to give each other a wee cuddle at the end of lockdown?

Ally: Yes!!

Lucia: Absolutely. I’ve actually seen Ally twice in lockdown, once for a photo project I did of all my pals in Glasgow from their windows. And the second time he came round to drop off some stuff at my door wearing a full Adidas tracksuit, which was fairly entertaining.

Ally: Lockdown has reinstated my love for trackies, honestly I stopped wearing them for years and now I’m wearing nothing else. And bucket hats.

Your new single ‘Let Go’ is a beautiful tune and really ethereal. What was the writing process?

Lucia: I wrote ‘Let Go’ at home in 2019 during a pretty difficult time, I was going through a break up which as we all know brings up so many things about yourself. Once I’d written it I ended up in LA with my friend Alex Greenwald from Phantom Planet to make the demo, he lives in this amazing house built by a gay Scottish couple, I felt so at home there knowing that these brilliant Scottish ladies had built this space, there are even Robert Burns quotations etched into the stonework. Making the demo was really emotional and once I’d finished it and shared with the boys they just loved it as it was.

Ally: We didn’t see any reason to re-record it, because the demo was so raw and real, it would have ruined the song to try and make it polished or cleaner, just really didn’t need it.

Lucia: ‘Let Go’ doesn’t have the same sound as our usual releases, but that’s the beauty of songwriting you don’t need to fit it into a box. The thread through all our music is that we made it and it represents how we felt at the time. Writing and recording the song felt like a big weight lifted off my shoulders, it’s been a therapeutic process.

The song is really different style from your usual sound, is that something you are going to continue going forward?

Lucia: I never put a limit or any restrictions on myself about how other people expect me to sound. Your style and taste changes as you go along and I never end up writing something to try and make it similar to our last release. Every song will be better if it’s not being forced in a certain direction.

Ally: If we put this track, ‘Let Go’, was put through the process to make it sound like our past releases the beauty would be completely lost. Because it’s so raw and honest. It wouldn’t be the same song; in fact, I think it would be shite if we did that. I’m excited to see how people react to it. It’s nice to keep things fresh but it wasn’t us trying to go into another direction, it just happened.

Lucia: Normally we would go and re-record a demo and this is the first time we’ve just used a track as it is.

I never put a limit or any restrictions on myself about how other people expect me to sound.

Lucia

What are your plans following ‘Let Go’?

Ally: We’re always writing, our brains don’t really switch off. Making new music and getting ready for our next tour with Dream Wife In April 2021, I cannot wait for that.

Lucia: We met Dream Wife about five years at a gig in Nice and Sleazy’s and they’re such lovely people to hang out and work with, so we’re really excited. We’ve played lots of gigs with them but this will be our first time on tour together. Also, our music video for ‘Let Go’ is going to get released soon too, which was lots of fun to make in isolation with our director Bryan Ferguson.

Lucia & The Best Boys

QUICK FIRE ROUND, HENS

Who would you most like to cover one of your tunes, dead or alive?Ally: Without a doubt, KORNLucia: 100% would be Gwen Stefani

What advice would you give yourself 5 years ago? Lucia: Don’t bleach your fucking hair.Ally: Get a fucking hair cut.

If you could play another instrument what would it be?Lucia: The drums. Wait, no! Can I change it? The bagpipes.Ally: The bagpipes. My neighbour plays the bagpipes and it’s perfect, cause my dad plays the guitar, I play the drums, so when we all play like no one ever complains.

That’s absolutely wild. What venue would you pick for the next Lucia & the Best Boys gig?Lucia: I’d definitely pick the Barras in Glasgow because it’s so iconic. I’ve played there before but would love to do it again.Ally: This is gonna seem a bit too out there; I’d pick my gran’s garden. She recently passed away and her garden is fucking mental, it’s even got a pond.

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